Growing up, we would cut out the Box Tops for Education from various foods and products. We’d then take them to our elementary school and donate them to the schools. I remember how excited everyone was to get new computers (ya know, the old school ones where you had to move the cursor with the keyboard and not a mouse?). Anyways, it was a very exciting goal that our school met.

As a parent with kids of my own, I still cut out the Box Tops for Education and donate them on a regular basis to my boys’ school. It is one of the easiest and quickest ways you can help donate to your child’s school! And I don’t know about you, but after the holiday celebrations, I found my shelves to be a little emptier than usual. That’s where General Mills came into play. They stocked our shelves with all sorts of goodies….and they all had Box Tops for Education!!!

BOX TOPS FOR EDUCATION® RAISES MORE THAN $500 MILLION FOR SCHOOLS

Box Tops for Education®, the nation’s largest school fundraising program, announced in February 2013 that it has earned more than half-a-billion dollars for schools across the country since it started in 1996. The General Mills program began as an experiment on boxes of Cheerios in California with first year earnings of only $1 million. It has grown to include more than 240 participating brands providing needed cash for 90,000 enrolled K-8 schools. At the heart of the program is more than 75,000 volunteer Box Tops for Education coordinators who motivate local school communities to collect the 10-cent coupons which are redeemed for cash schools use for whatever they need most.

To celebrate this milestone, this winter, the program is offering a variety of bonus Box Tops on more than 50 million packages at grocery stores and at btfe.com, allowing shoppers to double their earnings with select products. School budget cuts have made the program more and more important over the years as it provides unrestricted cash to help schools with their basic operating needs and programs that would not be possible otherwise, such as field trips, textbooks, musical instruments, playground equipment, classroom technology and arts and cultural programming.

“I witnessed the power of the program when I visited several schools in the state a few months ago,” said New Mexico governor, Susana Martinez. “After seeing how easy it was to earn cash for schools, I started encouraging everyone to participate to help students get the things they need most to improve their education experience. I congratulate Box Tops for Education on reaching this impressive level of support for students everywhere.”We are very impressed at how far the Box Tops program has come,” said Mark Addicks, chief marketing officer at General Mills. “To say that we’ve awarded schools more than $525 million through this simple program is amazing to us. However, it’s due largely to our participating brand partners and passionate coordinators that have propelled the program to this level.”

On average, schools in the U.S. earn around $900 annually through the program, but many schools earn more than $20,000 by clipping Box Tops, participating in bonus programs and shopping 300 online eBoxTops® retailers at the Box Tops Marketplace®.

ABOUT BOX TOPS FOR EDUCATION®

America’s schools have earned more than $525 million through the Box Tops for Education® program since the program started in 1996, including $47 million just since March 2012. More than 90,000 schools use that cash to purchase items such as computers, library books, art supplies and playground equipment. Schools can earn up to $20,000 by clipping Box Tops coupons from 240 products and can earn eBoxTops by shopping online through the Box Tops Marketplace. To learn more and for a list of participating products, visit www.btfe.com.

Shannon Gosney is the author of The Mommy-Files, a national blog with a loyal following. She has a Bachelor's Degree in Marriage, Family, and Human Development with a Minor in Business Management. With 3 active boys, Shannon loves living on the Central Coast near San Luis Obispo, California, as well as traveling around the world. A full-time Social Media and Professional Blogger, Shannon also serves as a National Brand Ambassador for many well-known companies. Her blog focuses on motherhood, family fun activities, traveling and recipes while providing professional opinions on products, performances, restaurants, and a variety of businesses.

Hamburger Helper (which I make with ground turkey) frequently has double Box Tops points. BTW, my kids are in Middle and High School now, so their classes don’t collect them. So, I save them and drop them off at the Elementary. They love it!